Osi himself took the stage. He had a specific word to share with the villagers. He believed God had used the Reverend's call earlier to speak to him. It had recharged him and he knew the people needed to hear it to.
He spoke passionately about the killings, about the effect it would have on the villagers, about the fear, anger, sorrow...he told them how they could not allow themselves to be yoked to all these negative feelings.
"God is telling us tonight...."(actually by 12:33am it was morning already) "he's telling you to come to him...get yoked to him, are you burdened with fear, grief, anger, regret? You need to make a conscious effort today to be yoked to God..cause he tells us his burden is light..."
"I know why you won't give Paul any face" Oluchi whispered to her friend. She had been watching her friend since the tall pastor began his sermon and she suddenly knew her friend had feelings for the man.
"Shhh...focus" Amara cautioned her without looking. She had a serious look on her face and Oluchi sobered up immediately.
Ovie was on usher duty which he hated. He didn't like standing for long and as a matter of fact he had mastered the drumset just because sitting down was guaranteed. However they were short on personnel. No one had imagined the turnout for the Virgil would be as much as this. The crowd tripled the number that had turned up during the previous service.
It was ironic that the recent killings had halted the progress of the crusade when in fact the people needed it now more than ever.
But that was by the way, Ovie was overweight and he needed to sleep. He scanned around for an empty seat. He walked slowly, tapping an elderly man who had fallen asleep with his mouth hung open. Only when the man woke up that Ovie realized it was Pa Kenneth. The old man looked very tired. Ovie felt like telling the man he could continue sleeping but he moved on. His legs were killing him, he needed to get to the empty seat.
He gave a sigh of relief and stretched back, causing a creaking sound from the plastic chair.
That was when he heard the sound. It sounded like a hissing sound and Ovie had half turned in his seat wondering who was sleeping behind him, at first he saw nothing then he hoped it wasn't a snake.
But then he saw the man, he was half Unclad or maybe he was stark Unclad because the light from the bulb didn't quite reach the tree and a part of his body was in the shadows.
Ovie stood up wondering what had caused this. 'I hope its under the anointing...' He mumbled to himself.
He reached the man and switched on his torchlight.
It wasn't anointing. No far from it, the man lay twitching on the floor and making convulsive movements. He was dying. It seemed he tried to speak or maybe he tried to shout but his throat had been sliced and more blood sprayed from his dislodged jugular like a bloody fountain resulting in the peculiar sound that Ovie had heard. Something gleaned just beside the head and he traced it. It was a piece of broken bottle. An alcohol bottle. He was sure that was the murder weapon.
He switched off the torch. He felt he was being watched. Whoever had done this was among the congregation seated here or maybe the killer was in the shadows watching him...waiting to grab him..
He tried to flashback and remember if anybody had passed him heading towards that direction but he couldn't recall.
Whatever noise any struggle would have caused must have been drowned by the massive speakers at the two opposite ends.
Ovie left the body and returned to his seat. He was not prepared to cause any panic. No sir...he didn't see anything.
"I didn't know that your brother still came for the service" Amara tugged her friend's hand. The service had ended and people were socialising before leaving. Most would not be going back to bed because in a few hours they'd be going to open shops or their rewpective workplace.
She had been looking out for Osi but then she had seen Paul talking to a young man. But Oluchi wasn't paying attention. She was talking to Steve and even a blind man would be able to tell she was attracted to him. She touched her hair too many times, smiled too much and paid the white man too much attention.
Amara gave up. She narrowed her eyes and marched to where he stood. Ever since Ezinne's death, she was looking at everybody with a very big microscope. And by everybody she meant Paul.
"Mister man...Oluchi said you were not coming" she announced barging in on his conversation with the young man.
"Okay but the thing be say-" he turned around and she could swear he was jittery.
"Oh...Amara...I changed my mind...this is Sofiri..Sofiri this is Amara"
"I know him very well...but we thought you wouldn't come"
"Yes...but I could hear the songs from my place and I couldn't sleep so I decided to come" he faced her fully, forgetting the man he had been talking with.
"I can't sleep Amara...you've been hunting dreams"
"Erm..hmmm hmmmm....Paul we go see later now...Amara later" Sofiri excused himself and went in search of his brother.
"Paul...biko...please please don't start....you're hiding things from me...how do you expect me to feel...or how do you expect my feelings for you to grow when you're not straight with me" (yes if that was what it took, she was willing to tow that path)
His ears stood at attention. Did she just admit to having feelings for him? "I can never hide anything from you, I swear it"
"Really...okay for starters...tell me why they call you Emeka...and tell me for how long you've been around"
"Amara I'd tell you I promise...but its late...lemme come to your place later in the morning.....we'd talk very well"
"Pastor are you with me?" Bartholomew frowned and followed Osi's eyes.
Osi shook his head "yea yea...I'm listening to you...the Sunday service starts by 9"
Pastor Bartholomew glanced at him strangely. Osi had been watching Amara and the leather jacket man not comfortable with how freely they were discussing. At a point she put her hand on his shoulder in a really flirty way.
"Pastor..are you with me?" Pastor Bartholomew asked again.
"Huh....yea I'm with you pastor...I'm with you"
A young man walked up to them and pastor Bartholomew ran through introductions "pastor this is my younger brother Sofiri...he's the one I've been staying with since your arrival"
Osi could remember meeting the man in the church on the first day. He had been the one to settle them in the house.
"Its a pleasure to meet you..I think we've met before....sorry for the inconvenience"
The man smiled.."no pastor..its no inconvenience my brother hardly visits me..so I'm happy to have him with me, before I get tired of him the crusade would have been over and he would have gone back home by then"
They all laughed.
"So...pastor..tomorrow the crusade ends and by Monday you guys travel back?"
"That's the plan.." But Osi did not feel ready to leave..not just yet. There was unfinished business to take care off.
"Hmm...pastor is it possi-"
"Pastor...I need to see you" Ovie interrupted him.
"Just a minute Ovie....pastor is it possi-"
"Pastor I have to see you now"
He looked at Ovie. The man was moving side to side, bouncing on his heels as if he was pressed.
"Just a minute.." He pleaded with pastor Batholomew and hurried to Ovie's side.
"Ovie what happened?"
"Pastor...I saw-"
There was a commotion from the extreme end as a woman screamed.
She must have stumbled on the body.
"Remember that short man that came over and punched you some nights ago?" Ovie rushed the words
"Yes..Okudili or something.."
"Well his dead body is behind a tree"
They heard someone else shout: "The devil is dead! The devil has been killed!"
Another person shouted: "praise the Lord!!"
Osi rubbed his face in dismay "oh God..."
°•°•°•°•°
Amara was still waiting for an answer when the first person shouted. When Osi had seen her touch Paul's shoulder, it hadn't been a flirting gesture although she had been moving along those lines but the reflection from the nearest overhead bulb had drawn her attention to a peculiar liquid stain on his arm. "Paul...what is this....is this blood?" She asked in disbelief as she studied her red stained fingertips.
Now: "The devil has been killed!"
"Praise the Lord!"
She looked at him and her eyes must have portrayed her thoughts because he held up his hands. "Amara I swear it wasn't me...I didn't do it...." But he was already moving backwards.
Sunday morning the church was empty. Only about a dozen people had turned up for service.
The sound of drums could be heard. Drumming and singing and it seemed to drown the drumset and keyboard and the uniform voice of the choir as they proclaimed "this is a day of joy, a day of joy"
The people of Amaife were dancing round the village and thanking the gods. The gods did not abandoned them after all, they had struck just as they were known to strike, Silently and very lethal. The man who had spat in their face by killing their chosen messenger had been dealt with. The killer was dead! Their women were safe! They didn't need church anymore, it was a day of jubilation!
Osi stepped outside the church and paced about. His gut was telling him the European was behind this and he knew Okudili had been murdered for a reason. The same way he had been framed for the dibia's death and mama Ozioma's death.
Now the people of Amaife had gone back to their traditional ways and his worst fear was that it would be easier for the killer to strike again. Everyone was bound to feel safe.
"I'm sorry...maybe if I hadn't frozen last night...he was still alive when I saw him"
Ovie had followed him outside and now he sat down on the pavement with a sad look in his eyes. Guilt had been eating him all day.
"Don't do this to yourself...that man was already gone..there's nothing you could have done"
"Hmmm...I can't wait to leave here tomorrow...its been a disaster"
To be continued...
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